Former Representative Billy Long Picked by Trump to Lead IRS (1)

President-elect Donald Trump said he intends to nominate former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) as IRS commissioner, cutting current chief Danny Werfel’s term short.

Trump called him an “extremely hard worker, and respected by all, especially by those who know him in Congress,” in a post on his social network platform, Truth Social.

Werfel, nominated by President Joe Biden, was confirmed with some bipartisan backing to the top IRS post in March 2023, after Trump’s prior IRS commissioner Charles Rettig’s term expired.

IRS commissioners are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a five-year term. They may be removed at the will of the president.

If confirmed, Long will come in at a pivotal time for the IRS. The agency is flush with extra cash from the Democrats’ 2022 tax-and-climate law—but facing the potential for more funding cuts as Republicans take power in Washington.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Finance Committee who supported Werfel’s confirmation, said “I’d be for” Long if he pledges to modernize the agency’s aging computer systems, protect whistleblowers and taxpayer privacy, and be transparent.

“The president had such a mandate that I would give preference to him getting his people in there,” Grassley told Bloomberg Tax minutes after Trump announced Long’s nomination.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), a member of the Finance Committee, predicted after speaking with Long Wednesday night predicted he would “no doubt” focus on “customer service” and IRS employee morale.

Young told reporters he “volunteered my assistance however I can in this process.”

Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) voiced his disapproval of Trump’s decision to replace the current IRS commissioner. “If Trump fires Mr. Werfel, it won’t be to improve on his work; it’ll be to install somebody Trump can control as he meddles with the IRS,” Wyden said in a statement Wednesday night.

Progressive groups and lawmakers sounded the alarm that the pick meant the IRS was open for tax aversion.

“Billy Long’s nomination to lead the I.R.S is bad news for middle-class taxpayers and a win for ultra-wealthy tax cheats,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a statement. “He has zero relevant experience for this critical management role and this pick — along with the unprecedented firing of the current commissioner—should set off alarm bells about the weaponization of the tax agency.”

Long is a former auctioneer and radio talk-show host, who was not on the tax writing Ways and Means Committee during his time in the House.

Instead, he made his mark as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he once even drowned out a protester’s interruption during a 2018 hearing using his auctioneer skills.

Long was elected as part of the Tea Party movement in 2010 and was an advocate for cuts to spending and federal regulations during his time in the House. He retired from the chamber in 2023 after losing a 2022 primiary for US Senate to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt (R).

After leaving Congress, Long shifted to working with businesses to claim the pandemic era tax credit known as the employee retention credit. The tax break has recently been a target of intense scrutiny from the IRS, which said many businesses filed fraudulent or ineligible claims with the help of pop-up firms.

Werfel Out

Werfel, who had bipartisan support when confirmed, said in September that he planned to serve out his full five-year term at the agency regardless of the presidential election outcome. His term is scheduled to end Nov. 12, 2027.

Werfel took over as the IRS sought to rebuild after decades of underfunding and significant new spending from the 2022 law, some of which has already been clawed back by Republicans.

Since his confirmation, the IRS has collected billions of dollars from wealthy individuals, upgraded outdated tech, and significantly cut phone wait times for taxpayers.

Still, Werfel hasn’t been immune to GOP criticism during his tenure, in particular facing blowback for the IRS’ new free electronic filing tool called Direct File.

However, he still enjoys some good will among Republicans who toyed with keeping him in the role.

“He is by no means, in my estimation, in any way politically motivated,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Finance Committee who voted for Werfel. “He is just a tax geek’s tax geek.”

Trump, in his first term, chose to keep former President Barack Obama’s IRS commissioner, John Koskinen, though Koskinen already had a relationship with Trump dating back to a 1970s New York City land deal.

Koskinen completed his full term despite pressure from Republicans who called for him to resign after Trump was sworn in for his first term.

Senate Republicans on Wednesday night dismissed any concerns about any move to remove Werfel before the end of his term.

“President Trump has every right to nominate his own people for important posts,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a swing vote who supported Werfel’s confirmation.